Debra Baez

Beloved artist Debra Ann Baez not only created beautiful pieces of art but also crafted a beautiful life that was hard to leave behind. Debra passed away on November 6, 2023, at the age of 64, after a long battle with cancer. She was surrounded by her children and loved ones who will remember her wide smile and warm spirit, both crafted by God specifically for her. 

Debra was many things to many people. She was everything from a nurse to a musician. However, she will be remembered most fondly as the matriarch of her family and community. She was a neighborhood favorite, adored by everyone she met. Children gravitated to her- wanting to go everywhere she went and be everywhere she was. And because she could make a friend out of anyone, there was never a shortage of people who knew her. 

Debra loved all the holidays and bringing her family together. She loved singing and shared her love of music with her children. And she loved drawing and painting with vibrant hues. But ironically, when asked about her favorite color, she would respond that, as an artist, she didn’t have one because she loved them all. 

Debra found joy in being her most creative and expressive self. She created something every day, but her most 

precious piece of art is the people she leaves behind. Debra is survived by her fiancé Curtis Foust; her children Zimone Brown and his wife Joanna, Melissa Sanchez and her husband Fabian, Pedro Baez and his wife Jessinya, Francisco Baez, and their dad Pedro Baez; her grandchildren, Anthony, Benjamin, Cyle, Daniel, Evan, Fabian, Liorah, Analise, Kaelyn, and Jayden; her sisters Venise Taylor, Kim Barnes, and Felicia Brown; and nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, cousins, and so many dear friends.